Discover

Research
at UCL
Investigate

Choose

Funding?

Decision

ucl.ac.uk/graduate
Applying for research at UCL
Investigate Identify the programme or programmes which interest you. A list
of research programmes offered by UCL can be found within our Funded
academic areas at UCL Graduate Prospectus at ucl.ac.uk/graduate/research
research opportunities

A studentship is a defined research project with funding already attached. They are predominantly

Check
in science, technology, engineering and medical areas, and are advertised throughout the year
on one or more of the following sites:

you meet the requirements
Entry requirements for our research programmes can be found on the Graduate
Prospectus ucl.ac.uk/graduate/research. International equivalencies are shown in
the key information section of each degree page. You may also need to provide proof
of your English language proficiency if English is not your first language.
•  UCL Doctoral Training Centre and programmes: ucl.ac.uk/cdts or
UCL Studentships: ucl.ac.uk/studentships
•  Faculty and department sites: www.ucl.ac.uk/about/how/faculties
•  Listings sites like www.findaphd.com or www.jobs.ac.uk
Availability of studentships is ad hoc in nature, and each one will have specific advice on how to apply.
Note that studentships funded by UK Research Councils, including most Doctoral Training opportunities, are
not usually available to students from outside the EU. If you are applying for funding from your government
check the requirements and deadlines – these can often be earlier than you would expect.

Choose Enquire Apply Apply

an academic department or make a research enquiry complete an application for a studentship
research group
Establishing a dialogue with a prospective supervisor is usually Academic members of staff are extremely busy people and An application is the final stage of the process Follow the application guidance of the studentship.
fundamental to the application process. All applicants, except receive many research enquiries. It is therefore important to and should only be submitted when requested,
those applying for advertised studentships (see “Funded research research thoroughly your prospective supervisor’s interests or when you have agreed on a research project
opportunities”), are encouraged to send an informal research enquiry. This before you contact them, and say who you are and what you with your supervisor.
should either be sent directly to the academic you are interested in working want to do clearly and concisely.
with, or to the departmental contact. The process can vary by department;
please contact the department first. See “Departments and research Your email should answer the following:
•  Are you a UK/EU or overseas student?
Decision
groups” section below for contact details.
Academics at UCL undertake a lot of interdisciplinary research – for this •  Where are you from?
reason it is recommended that you consider a variety of departments, •  What qualifications do you have, from which institution?
academics and research groups. We advise you to make use of all •  What were your grades? track your progress
the sources of information mentioned here to help you identify suitable
supervisors or groups for you. •  Do you have any research experience? If so, what? You will be able to track the progress of your application via the UCL Applicant Portal –
details will be sent to you when your application has been received.
•  Have you published any research?
Individual academics •  How will you fund your studies?
There are three ways to identify an appropriate academic supervisor
to contact: Research proposal
•   rowse the UCL Graduate Prospectus to find centres of research in
B Research proposals are more common in arts and social
sciences areas. They are not usually required in science,
your area of interest. You can click through to the relevant department
or centre website to find staff profiles. ucl.ac.uk/graduate technology, engineering and medical areas, where research
is usually done in research groups. If applicable, you need
•  Look on UCL’s Institutional Research Information System (IRIS), where to clearly describe the topic, its aims and objectives, and its
you can search for academics and centres of research by keyword.
methodology as concisely as possible; in the first instance it
Not all academics are listed in IRIS but it is a good place to start.
should usually amount to around 500 words. If a prospective
ucl.ac.uk/iris
supervisor is interested, then you can refine and develop your
•  Search our online research repository (UCL Discovery) to find papers initial outline to produce a final proposal.
and research relevant to you. If you identify a research paper that
interests you it is possible that one of the authors could be a suitable A good proposal will include the following:
supervisor. ucl.ac.uk/discovery •  A clear and descriptive working title
•  Some background, rationale and any relevant issues
Departments and research groups •  Your aims and objectives
You can find contact details for academic departments on the
relevant degree pages in our Graduate Prospectus, ucl.ac.uk/graduate
•  A description of your theoretical framework and
methodological approach
Alternatively, you can find Graduate Tutor information, by selecting •  What sources or data you will be using
Essential Information, on the UCL Doctoral website, www.grad.ucl.ac.uk •  What valuable and useful knowledge will come out
of your research.
Why UCL?

£476m
Research grant income
UCL annual report and financial statement 2017/18

29
8th Nobel Laureates
29 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to people
who are, or were, students or academics at UCL

in the world
QS World University Rankings 2020

1st
for research strength in the UK
UCL is the top-rated university in the UK for
research strength (REF 2014)

Partners 155
UCL’s ongoing links with industry: countries represented by
Arup, Cisco, BBC, EU, CERN, NASA, UK Parliament, UCL staff and students
UN, Dyson, British Museum, Eisai, Microsoft and Intel, UCL attracts the best an the brightest staff and
among others. students from all over the world

Disclaimer: This information is for guidance only. It should not be construed as advice nor relied upon and does not form part of any
contract. For more information on UCL’s degree programmes please see the UCL Graduate Prospectus at ucl.ac.uk/graduate
© UCL Communications & Marketing, November 2019